Puzzles
Puzzles present a different kind of challenge to your players, something that requires them to problem solve and think outside of the numbers and abilities on their character sheet. Puzzles can come in a lot of different forms. They can be riddles and mechanical devices, but they can also be investigations that need to be made or practical problems that need to be solved. Though puzzles may be challenging to create, they provide an interesting change of pace and add variety to your campaign challenges.
Every game group is different and each will enjoy different kinds of gameplay. When incorporating puzzles into your campaign, start with something simple and then introduce progressively more difficult puzzles if you find that they are something your player's latch onto and enjoy.
Below, we will discuss a few different types of puzzles, but this is by no means a finite list. Feel free to expand on these ideas as you see fit.
Investigations
Investigation can be its own type of puzzle, where the characters encounter clues to help them understand what's happened or where to go next. Think of investigations as presenting a mystery for the characters to solve, and then providing clues to help them solve it. Investigations do not need to be elaborate and do not have to be crucial to the plot, and can simply serve as a means to enhance the story. If your have inquisitive players, however, having an investigation be part of the main goal of the story can help to better engage them in the plot.
Incorporate Skill Checks into your investigation whenever possible, but make sure the DCs are appropriate for the PCs level and ability (especially if the investigation is central to your plot). When presenting an investigation to your players, prepare to be asked a lot of questions about the clues you are presenting. Make sure that you have a clear idea about what happened in a scene when it is presented to the players (or be really good at thinking on the fly). Undoubtedly, players will come up with questions that you haven't considered, and having a firm grasp of the situation will help you to answer these questions. Sometimes the players questions will provide you with an opportunity to give them more clues, and use this as an opportunity to reinforce your story.
The Gamemaster, Lena, describes the following scene to her players:
You enter the house, but it's completely dark inside, the shutters are all closed. You bring your light in closer, shining it across the room, and see it in complete disarray. Books are scattered haphazardly across the floor, furniture is knocked over and torn, and the rug is rumpled as if something had been drug across it and towards the front door.
As the Gamemaster, Lena knows that the inhabitant of the house was kidnapped, and he put up quite a bit of a struggle before he was knocked out and removed from the house. The players begin to investigate the area and ask questions. By making Investigate checks, Fred finds the candlestick lying on the floor, with a small amount of blood on it suggesting that it was used to knock someone out. Christine decides to search through the other rooms in the house, and notices the shutters on one of the windows was recently broken, suggesting this may have been the way the intruder gained entrance.
Mark decides to take a look outside and asks if there are any tracks leading away from the window. Lena hadn't considered this previously, but thinks that tracks would be consistent with her scenario, and decides that yes tracks should be there. With a successful Hunting check, Mark is able to find the tracks and determine where the intruder left from.Sometimes the line of questioning your characters will come up with may seem to be leading them down a different path then you intended. At this point, you may choose to follow the players line of thought and make adjustments to your story to accommodate their conclusions. Or if you can't find a way to make adjustments, help your players to reexamine the evidence or gently nudge them towards evidence that will move them in the right direction.
Riddles
Riddles are another fun, yet quick and easy puzzle to present to your players. The Riddle can serve as the clue to a password through a magical door, the location to a hidden treasure, or a contest of wits between two creatures. Riddles can be as complex or simple as you'd like, but should be straight-forward enough to have a short and definitive answer. Additionally, the riddle should be appropriate to your setting (i.e. should be about an object or concept that is readily known in everyday culture of the world).
If your riddle is central to the plot of your story, be prepared to to offer clues to your PCs should they need them (you can have PCs make a Wits check to allow them to receive a clue). Alternatively, provide an opportunity for the PCs to research or seek out the clue in some way. As far as finding riddles go, there are lots of resources available on the web or if you're feeling creative you can make up your own.
Mechanical Puzzles
Mechanical Puzzles generally represent just about any physical object that your characters need to manipulate. These puzzles can really be just about anything you can think of: finding the correct key in a room of keys, piecing together the pieces of a magical seal, tracing a jumble of chains to determine which one is connected to the correct lever, or playing the correct notes on the harpsichord to open the hidden door. The possibilities are virtually limitless, and can be as simple or complex as you'd like them to be.
Keep in mind that some players are going to be more interested or engaged in puzzles than others. Start with smaller and simpler puzzles and work up to more complex ones if you find your players like them. Watch players carefully too, it is easy for players to "give up" if they think that a puzzle is too hard. If the players become stuck, you can have them make a Wits check to allow them to receive a clue.
When trying to create mechanical puzzles, consider those you may have seen in movies, television, or video games. There are also tons of suggestions available on the web that can be adapted as you see fit. Remember that puzzles can include magical elements, so the solution doesn't always have to "make sense" as far as reality or the world is concerned (like a secret door at the back of a coat closet).
Puzzle Tips
Even if the puzzle is not central to your plot, there should still be some sort of reward for solving it. This can come in the form of treasure or magic items, knowledge about the story or world, or a furthering of the plot Puzzles can also grant their own experience, especially if they are not incorporated into a Story Award. Generally speaking, the more complicated the puzzle, the larger the reward should be.
What happens if your players quit? Well, if solving the puzzle is not essential to the plot you can leave it at that. If the players decide to come back and try to solve the puzzle again later, they will be justly rewarded. If it is central to your plot, always have a back-up plan. Maybe there is some other way for the players to get past (or around) the puzzle. Perhaps an NPC can provide them with tools or information to help them bypass the puzzle. You could even have them come across another group that is attempting to solve the puzzle and have the two groups work together (with the NPCs doing most of the leg work).
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